TIRUPATI: A giraffe died of shock after falling while feeding at the SV Zoo Park in Tirupati on Monday. The giraffe, named Subus, had been brought to India from Africa. He was received by the zoo in 2010, as part of an exchange programme. Subus had been dull and lifeless for a while because he had not had a mate from 2010, zoo officials said. They had tried to help him by buying a female giraffe in 2011 but she had died while being transported from Malaysia. Recently, the officials had approached the zoos of Kolkata and Mysuru, seeking a female companion for Subus.
After Subus’ death on Monday, SV Zoo chief curator Y. Srinivasa Reddy said, “The zoo veterinarians and those from the veterinary university jointly conducted a post-mortem. The report says that Subus died of dramatic shock caused by falling down.” He added that giraffes were known to be shy and sensitive. “We are planning to get two male and two female giraffe calves from Africa,” he said.
